Current automated vending and/or receiving systems often do not permit precise control of inventory and sale of particular products within the vending systems, or log confirmation of appropriate product delivery or used item receipt. Complex product or object imaging and identification systems are costly and often cost prohibitive for stand-alone automated vending or receiving units, and such components often require greater maintenance and/or are more sensitive to environmental conditions. When something goes wrong with product receipt and/or product delivery, the owners of such automated systems must often rely solely upon customer or user input to determine what went wrong.